A navy war veteran has been awarded a prestigious medal by the Russian Federation for his courageous service which helped the Soviet Union defeat Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Edward Campbell, 94, was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm armourer on one of the many Arctic Convoys which tackled the treacherous journey from the UK to Russia to deliver crucial supplies to the Soviet Union during the Second World War.

It was described as the “worst journey in the world” by Winston Churchill after some 3,000 lives were lost to attacks from Nazi Germany and their allies.

More than 70 years later, Mr Campbell has finally been given a commemorative medal by the Russian Federation thanking him for his brave service.

He said: “I’m honoured to receive this award - especially because the mission was so dangerous.

“The conditions were horrendous. It was minus 24F, we wore fully thermal underwear, balaclavas, wellies, body suits and gloves which made work hard - especially changing a spark plug. We had to start the engines of the planes regularly to stop them from freezing.

“We were told that if you fell into the waters there’s no point in trying to swim - just go to sleep with the cold because you would freeze in minutes.”

The medal sits alongside his 10 other relics including the Arctic Star, proudly displayed throughout his Hinckley home.

The Foreign Office initially did not allow Russia to honour the veterans as it broke the rules on foreign medals.

The British Government created the Arctic Star in 2012 following a long campaign for the convoy veterans to be recognised.

But campaigners believed veterans should still be able to receive the Russian accolade.

The Foreign Office allowed an “exception to the rules” in December 2012 and President Vladimir Putin awarded the honour to the brave veterans.

Like many patriots at the time, Mr Campbell demanded to join the Navy following a devastating torpedo attack by a German submarine in 1939 on the HMS Royal Oak ship, anchored in Scotland, which killed 844 men and boys and damaged wartime morale considerably.

But, at first, his boss tried to prevent him from joining the war by declaring his job as a trainee fitter a reserved occupation. But he insisted and eventually joined with three friends.

He said: “One of the lads was a plumber so he wasn’t allowed to join either. He went back a week later and said he was a window cleaner and they let him join. Two of the boys died in the war and one died later on. I’m the last one alive.”

Mr Campbell soon worked his way up the ranks and became a petty officer in 1943 and enjoyed the luxuries of extra strong rum and bossing around his subordinates.

“Petty Officers had certain privileges. We were allowed full strength rum, as opposed to the watered down rum the lower ranks received. But we’re talking proper rum, about 90%, not the weak stuff nowadays. Unfortunately, the rum rations stopped in the 1970s.”

He said his job was to “mess around with bombs”, but in fact, he had the dangerous responsibilty of fitting fighter bombers with explosives and ammunition.

He vividly recalls the terrifying moment an entire crew luckily escaped with their lives. He was on board a aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean as part of Operation Pedestal delivering vital aid to Malta, when Italian fighter bombers dropped several bombs onto the deck.

He said: “I was a wingspan away from the bombs as they smashed into the deck of the carrier. They bounced, but didn’t explode. The armour plated deck would have protected us from bombs, but if the Italian pilots had open fired with their machine guns we would all have been massacred and left for dead. Luckily they didn’t.

“After, our officer simply shouted: ‘Right, the excitement’s over boys, back to work’, as the planes sped away.”

Mr Campbell met his wife, Florence, at a training camp in Lancashire when his superior arranged for him to go on a double blind date to the cinema. They married in March 1946 and Florence gave birth to their first child Christine in December. Their son, David Edward, followed in June 1948. Sadly, David died in 2003 and Mr Campbell lost his beloved wife five years ago.

Mrs Perkins said: “My father always put us first, he spoilt us and was a real family man. I’ve always been very proud of him.

“It’s lovely that the Russian’s have recognised his service in the war.”

After the war, Mr Campbell returned to Hinckley and devoted his time to his family. He became a hosiery machine mechanic at Flude’s, where the Hinckley Hub now sits, and spent two years working in Melbourne, Australia.

He remains fiercely independent and puts this down the rigorous Royal Navy training which taught raw recruits to fend for themselves.